PASSION, PRIDE, PERFORMANCE

Squash Canada announces enhancements to the 2019 Canadian Junior Open

Submitted by editor on Thu, 2019-07-11 11:41

2019-07-11

OTTAWA, ON (July 11, 2019) – Squash Canada and the Club at White Oaks are pleased to announce some significant enhancements to the Canadian Junior Open to be held December 6-10, 2019 in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

In 2018, the Canadian Junior Open grew to 304 athletes from Canada and around the World, making it the largest in the events history. But it was the fact that almost 30 additional athletes never made it off the wait list and were unable to participate that prompted a review of the event. Squash Canada examined the ideas such as using two venues, fewer guaranteed matches, starting the event earlier or staying status quo.

In the end, the player experience was deemed paramount. One of the features of the Canadian Junior Open rated highest by athletes and families is the “all-in-one” atmosphere where you can stay and play in one venue. The travel, distance and isolation of using a second venue was ruled out. Rather, the 2019 event will see competition start a day earlier to accommodate the growth for International and Canadian players.

Squash Canada in conjunction with The Club at White Oaks is pleased to announce that the overall cap has been increased to 352 players for the 2019 Canadian Junior Open. To accommodate the increase in athletes, the event will now be held from Friday December 6 to Tuesday December 10. Some categories will see their matches spaced throughout the full five days while others will remain at four days. For those planning to participate in the 2019 event, all boys’ categories must be prepared to start as early as 10am on Friday December 6th and all girls’ categories will start a day later, with matches to begin as early as 8am on Saturday December 7th.

Another key change for 2019 will now be a cap on all categories to stay within the overall cap of 352 players. After reviewing participation numbers from previous years, the decision has been made to cap all girls’ categories at 32 players, the boys’ U13/U15 categories at 48 players and the boys’ U17/U19 categories at 64 players. In the event some categories have lower participation, and others have a wait list over the allotted cap then decisions will be made after registrations close on how to take additional registrations in those categories.

Another change will see the introduction of a two registration periods. Squash Canada has identified a process that provides Canada’s top players with the first opportunity to register early for the event to ensure that they receive an opportunity to gain international experience. Once this registration window closes then the event will be opened on a first come first serve basis to all other players.

Registration Period

Who May Register

Registration Opens:
- Tuesday September 3rd at Noon

Registration Closes:
- Monday September 23rd at Noon

Canadian Players Only
* based on Canadian Rankings as at July 3rd, 2019

Boys U19 – Top 20

Boys U17 – Top 16

Boys U15 – Top 16

Boys U13 – Top 12

Girls U19 – Top 12

Girls U17 – Top 16

Girls U15 – Top 16

Girls U13 – Top 12

Registration Opens:
- Tuesday September 24th at Noon

Registration Closes:
- Thursday November 14th at Noon

Canadian & International Players
* First Come First Serve

Note: Players will be notified by Squash Canada of their eligibility to register in the Early Registration Period by email.

In 2018, Squash Canada was pleased to enhance the player and fan experience by using the Club Locker platform with Live Scoring. To take this feature one step further, The Club at White Oaks will be installing television displays on all eight courts that will display the match scores live as they happen, which will provide a better in-game spectator viewing experience.

Squash Canada will once again be registering the event as a WSF Satellite event whereby all boys’ and girls’ U17/U19 players will require a WSF SPIN number. By doing so the event will allow players to collect key points for their world rankings. Click Here to register for a WSF SPIN.

Finally, for those of you who are making plans to attend in 2019 don’t forget to book your hotel accommodations early and/or for those who pre-booked to adjust your stay accordingly. As a side note, all rooms at The Club at White Oaks are booked at this time but we strongly encourage you to pre-book at one of the additional host hotels nearby to the club. Details can be found by Clicking Here.